Darkened Days
by fluorescent-adolescent-7
Summary: 'I really like you, Hermione. I think you're beautiful, honestly.' A smile stared to spread across her face. - Fremione! Fred x Hermione. Incomplete!
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything Harry Potter!**_

_Darkened Days_

_Chapter One_

_A scream. _

_That's all it took for Hermione Granger to jump out of bed, and run out of her room in the Burrow, where she had been staying that Easter, as her parents were in America. She saw that Fred and George Weasley had also stumbled out of their room to see what was going on. With one frantic look at Hermione, Fred rushed downstairs; shortly followed by George._

_She decided she'd get Ginny, Ron and Harry first. Hermione ran into Ron and Harry's room, and shook them both telling them to get downstairs, before running into her own room and waking up Ginny telling her what she'd heard. _

_As the 3 fifth-years (and the 1 fourth-year) ran downstairs, Hermione going first, they all became stunned. Fred and George were on a long sofa, on either side of their mother who was crying into her hands. Identical silent tears were streaming down the Twins' faces._

_Hermione saw it just after Ron, Harry and Ginny did. It was Arthur Weasley, lying on the floor; his blue eyes, once filled with the same mischief as Fred and George, was gone; he was staring blankly up at the ceiling. _

'_He's…' Hermione whispered, but her throat wouldn't allow another word to come out her mouth._

_Ron and Ginny knelt beside him on the floor, both sobbing uncontrollably. Harry took a few steps back, dumbfounded._

_Arthur Weasley was dead. _

8 MONTHS EARLIER~

'Come on, dears! We're going to miss the train!' Molly Weasley called out to Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny as they ran on to Platform 9 ¾.

'See you, mum!' Fred and George called as they ran on to the train to find their friends; about to enter their last year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

'Bye, mum. See you at Christmas, love you,' said Ginny, giving her a hug. Harry and Hermione also said their goodbyes, and Ron gave her a hug before the 4 teenagers also ran on to the Hogwarts Express to find Neville and Luna.

They found their friends in a carriage near Fred and George's, and as they sat down, the 6 began talking excitedly about their summers, and how happy they were that they were back at school. They had been talking for about 20 minutes, when Fred came bursting in. He sat in between Hermione and Luna, and put his arms around both of their shoulders.

'Hello, ladies!' He winked. Luna laughed lightly and Hermione blushed, looking away.

Fred took his arms off from around the two girls, and stopped smiling. 'On a more serious note, I heard that some woman from the Ministry's going to be teaching us Defence against the Dark Arts this year… Goes by the name Delores Umbridge.'

'What's so wrong with that?' Harry asked. 'We have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher every year, what's different about her?'

'Lee tells me that his father says she can be really… Mental,' he finished, looking around for a reaction from the fourth and fifth years. After no one's expressions changed, he added; 'Do none of you care, that some evil bitch of a teacher is going to be controlling us?' Still nothing. 'Fine then,' he said. 'I'm leaving.'

Fred Weasley got up off his seat from between Luna and Hermione, and went back to see George, Lee, and whoever else he was with in his carriage.

'Seriously, guys,' Ron said. 'There's no point being worried about a new DADA teacher. We'll still learn all the stuff; probably even better, now that it's someone from the Ministry. My dad said that most people there aren't too bad, we should be fine; Fred's just worrying about his NEWTs.'

'Well,' Harry begun, looking round. 'Let's not jump to any conclusions. She could be nice, she could be a bitch. We'll have to just wait and see!'

'You have your OWLs this year, don't you?' Luna mused, changing the subject.

'Yes, we do. I'm so worried about them!' Hermione whined. 'I should start studying as soon as possible. And I might take out _Hogwarts: A History_ again, just in case I missed anything in History of Magic.'

'Hermione you're the best in our year,' Neville laughed. 'You have nothing to be worried about! I think I need to pay more attention in Transfiguration… and Potions… And just about everything else, at that.'

The teens laughed, and continued to talk and enjoy each other's company until the train pulled up slowly to Hogsmeade Station.

'4 to a carriage!' Hermione heard Professor Flitwick call. Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione all climbed into the carriage drawn by supposedly nothing. Although Harry could see the Thestrals that pulled them along to Hogwarts; he had seen Cedric Diggory die only a year beforehand.

'Haven't seen Malfoy yet,' Harry stated.

'Good. The bugger shouldn't come back to this school,' scoffed Ron, as the carriage pulled away and the four teens set off to start their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

AN: okay hi guys this is my first story! I might just not finish it, if I feel like it's not going anywhere. But, it all depends.

Okay review it, and all that jazz :-)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, do you think I'd be on this site? **_

_Chapter Two_

Dumbledore stood up with a glint in his deep blue eyes, and addressed the four tables of hungry Hogwarts students before him.

'Welcome,' he began. 'To another year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am happy to announce that Professor Delores Umbridge will be filling the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, and I am sure you will all be agreeing with me that she needs our luck!'

Umbridge was a short, fairly plump woman with short curly hair and a wooly pink dress with matching pink cardigan. It made Hermione gag.

'She's disgusting. I mean, look at her!' she whispered frantically to Ron and Harry. 'I bet you anything she's just trying to make us fail our OWLs.'

'Hermione,' Harry laughed. 'She's from the ministry. She was at my hearing; she works for Fudge. I doubt she would want to sabotage our education; that would make Fudge look horrible.'

Hermione began to talk back, but was interrupted by a high-pitched cough from the staff table at the back. Dumbledore looked back, with a forced smile, and said, 'Yes, Delores?'

'I'd like to say something, Professor,' she stated, standing up. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of a vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this… Historic school, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prune practises that ought to be prohibited!'

Hermione automatically disliked her.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

In the common room later on in the month, Hermione was sitting with Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and a few others from the upper years after several weeks of DADA lessons without using wands.

'Who does she think she is?'

'We need to get her out of her!'

'We need a proper teacher!'

'People!' Hermione half-shouted. Everyone looked at her blankly, lost in thought. 'We need a plan. I say we get a _real_ teacher. Harry,' she smiled, gesturing towards him.

'Me? Wow, no way. I'm no teacher! I only did those things out of luck, seriously…' Harry stammered.

'You're the best we've got, mate,' Fred sighed. 'And you're pretty damn good, at that.'

'I don't know… No one would want to be taught by me, anyway. They think I'm a loony!'

'Once they hear your story, they'll…' Ron began, but Harry cut him off.

'No. I'm not bringing loads of people together just so they can all call me a liar. And anyway, as much as it may shock you; seeing Cedric Diggory die was one of the most painful things that have ever happened to me. It's horrible, seeing someone that you used to go to school with die. So seriously, no. I'm not 'teaching' anyone, because I don't know how I survived it all myself.' Harry looked down at the floor, and there was an uncomfortable silence between the teens.

'You're the best we've got,' whispered Ginny, although loud enough so that everyone could hear her.

'I can't, I'm sorry,' he sighed.

A lot of people stood up and left, and in the end it was only Fred, George, Ron and Hermione sat in the chairs surrounding the fire.

'I'm just kinda scared, you know?' said Ron quietly. 'I mean, You-Know-Who's back, and if we can't defend ourselves, well then…' He couldn't finish.

'Hermione,' Fred said softly, practically scanning her with his deep brown eyes. 'We need him to do this. We won't stand a chance otherwise. Please, try.'

'I'll try.' Hermione swallowed.

Fred stood up swiftly, brushing his hand so gently against Hermione's, that she wasn't sure if she actually felt it or not. George followed him, quickly smirking at Hermione.

'I'm going to go to bed, Ron,' Hermione said, standing up and smiling at her best friend. 'See you in the morning, bright and early!'

Ron let out a groan, and Hermione leapt upstairs to her dormitory.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

'George?' asked Fred; late at night when he was sure all his dorm members were asleep.

'Yeah, Freddie?' George answered.

'I'm confused…' he begun.

'Is it Granger?'

'No!' Fred scoffed.

'Fred.'

'What?'

'Do be serious; I know everything about you. And _you_ have a _crush_ on _Hermione_!'

'Do not!'

'Do.'

'Do not.'

'Do!'

This went on for a while; the twins finally shut up when Lee rolled over and sighed deeply, reminding them that they weren't the only two in the room.

'Anyway,' Fred whispered. 'Ron likes her, you know that.'

'But does she like Ron?'

'Well, I don't know…'

'Exactly. If she liked Ron, she would bloody act like it!'

'She doesn't act like she likes me either!' Fred protested.

'Didn't you see how she was looking at you?'

Fred didn't have an answer to this. Instead, he rolled over on to his back, listening to the sound of the September wind, staring at the bright moon outside the window.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The next day was a Saturday. _Thank God_, thought Fred, as he rolled out over his bed after his nearly sleepless night.

'Wakey wakey sleepy-head!' shouted George.

Fred groaned and rolled over. 'Leave me alone,' he moaned.

'No way! You _have_ to get up, got it?' George gave his twin a stern look.

'Why? What's so great about today? Let me sleep.'

'Nothing's so great about today but it's not good for you to stay in bed!' George sung.

'Georgie. Leave me alone. I didn't sleep well, okay?'

'You and I both, Freddie. But that's beside the point; it's Quidditch trials today, remember? I just thought you might want to wake up properly before then…'

'Alright, alright. I'm up,' Fred groaned, rolling out of bed.

The rest of the morning went relatively quickly for Fred and George; after they ate breakfast, they went to the common room and sold lots of Skiving Snackboxes, and then about an hour before the trials were starting, Fred announced that he had to go and see Lee about some Potions homework, and so he set off to the library.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hermione was sat on one of the long desks in the large library, looking something up for the next Potions class that she had with Snape. A tall red-head suddenly came bounding through the isle.

'Fred?' Hermione called.

'Hermione! Great to see you. Have you seen Lee? I haven't been here in a while… I might get lost,' he laughed.

'Here, come with me,' she sighed. 'I saw Lee leave about 10 minutes ago; you just missed him! But I can help you with what you were searching for, if you'd like?'

'Uh, thanks,' Fred answered awkwardly. He sat on a chair next to where Hermione was sitting and began to describe to her the difficult Potions homework that he had to complete. Fred wasn't one for doing much homework, but he and George had decided that in their 7th and final year at Hogwarts, they would at least try to get good marks. After all, their NEWT results practically decide their futures for them.

Not that he and George were planning on doing anything academic after they finished school. The twins had already made quite a lot of money from selling joke products in school, and had put most of it aside to hopefully start their own shop.

'And so,' Hermione concluded. 'After you had the Unicorn Tail Hairs, you should leave the Felix Felicis to brew for about 5 hours, and then it should be done. Did you get all of that?'

No, Fred _hadn't_ got all of that. He had been too busy daydreaming about the millions of shades in Hermione's hair. How, when the light caught it, it would turn light and look soft to the touch. How her eyes glinted when she was lost deep in thought, and how she would suck slightly on the tip of her quill as she was reading a textbook thoroughly.

'Yeah,' he lied. 'Thanks, Hermione!' he called, before grabbing the textbook she was reading from, putting it on the shelf, and beginning to leave the large library.

'I can help you whenever you want, you know,' Hermione said softly; her light pink lips curving into a slight smile.

'Thanks, Hermione; I'd like that. See you.' And with that, Fred left the library and headed to the Common Room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Back in the library, Hermione was lost deep in thought; although not about the Arithmacy work sitting in front of her. Had she just imagined Fred's eyes practically scanning through her, not listening to a single word she'd just said, how he'd hesitated for about 6 seconds before answering if he'd understood or not? _Perhaps he just doesn't like spending time with me_, Hermione thought gloomily.

**AN: okay hi guys!**

**I only just posted my first chapter and I'm already unhappy with it. So just ignore that, yeah? ;) **

**I'm happier with this one, and I may start doing POV's to make it a little bit easier, what do you guys think? Review, subscribe, etc! Thanks :-) **


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: all characters and names and stuff belong to JK Rowling :-) **_

_Chapter Three_

_**AN: Hey! New chapter, yaay! Right okay I'm trying a POV thing. If I don't like it, and you don't like it, then I'll go back to how it was the first 2 chapters, but for this one and possibly the next one (depending on how it goes) it will be switching between Fred and Hermione's POV's. **_

_Fred's POV: _

As I hurried back to the common room, the smell of Hermione's flowery perfume still lingered around me. I didn't like her, did I? If I did, I would have felt something in the library; but I didn't. There was nothing there; just two friends doing some homework. Besides, she was my little brother's best friend! And he liked her… A lot. A thought suddenly struck me; Quidditch Trials! How long had I been in the library with Hermione? I checked my watch, only to find that the hands were stuck, after George and I tried to bewitch several water balloons and having them turn on us.

'Freddie!' I heard a voice; George.

'Yeah, Georgie?' I answered.

'It is Quidditch trials, you numpty. Here; I've got your broom. Come down to the pitch now, there's no time to put your bags back. _Come on!_'

'Oops, yeah, I kinda forgot for a bit…' I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. George threw my old broomstick over to me and I caught it in my well-trained hands. 'Cheers,' I said, smiling.

'No problem; why were you so long in the library anyway? Lee came back shortly after you'd gone. Who were you with?' he asked.

I was silent for a few moments. Should I tell him that I was with Hermione? The night before, he'd said that he thought I liked her… But I didn't, that's the thing!

'Oh, I… Er…' I stammered.

'Freddie?' George turned around to face me.

I bit my lower lip. 'I was with Hermione, George. But it doesn't mean anything, okay? She offered to help and I accepted, simply because her brains make up for my lack of such thing,' I answered.

'Whoa, calm down. I wasn't _going_ to say it meant anything… But now that you mention it…' George sad, smirking.

'Funny, George. So bloody witty, right?'

George didn't answer; instead we just smiled our bright identical smiles and hurried down to the Quidditch pitch, as to not miss the trials. We would be trying out for Beaters, of course; why would we be anything else? We were the best that this school had had in ages, and we weren't about to let the Gryffindor team lose in our last year at school.

_Hermione's POV:_

I sat there, chewing the end of my quill lightly, reading about the _Draught of Peace_ potion. Although, I wasn't taking any of it in. I was still thinking about the last few minutes I'd had with Fred. How deep and comforting his big brown eyes were, how his playful messed-up red hair lay lightly on his head, and how he would bite his lower lip without realising when he was lost in his thoughts; as he had been several times during the small period of time we'd just spent together.

I decided that I'd done enough work that day; and that I could go the common room to try and find Ron and Harry, unless they were still at Quidditch Trials. When did they start, again? I wasn't sure.

And so, I packed up my array of books and placed them into my bag, before heading off back to the common room, where I hoped to find Ron and Harry, or at least Ginny.

I swiftly turned on my heel and headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. It seemed unusually far away; but perhaps that was because there was a lot on my mind. Did I like Fred? No, of course not! That's preposterous, and besides he was 2 years older than me! And anyway, he would never think of me that way. He'd probably only accepted my help because he knew I wouldn't get it wrong. Yeah, that was it; he only liked my brains. But I didn't blame him; I was nothing special.

Besides the walk back to the common room taking a while, I decided to walk around the castle a bit on the way there; to clear my head. I started thinking about OWLs, and how Ron and I were both prefects, and how You-Know-Who had returned and how it would affect us, and that Umbridge woman, not allowing us to do magic in lessons and…

I looked upwards and found that my feet had carried themselves to the Gryffindor common room by themselves. And so, I stepped in and saw Harry and Ron looking chuffed with themselves, over by the fire.

'I'm guessing you're both in the team then?' I said, grinning, as I sat with them.

'Yep!' Ron almost squealed. 'Harry got Seeker, of course, and I got Keeper!'

I looked over at Harry, and saw that, although he was desperately trying to finish his Defence Against the Dark Arts essay, he was grinning wildly into his parchment.

'Slightly happy, Harry?' I smirked.

He looked up. 'Well, you know… I just thought that… Cos of everything _The Daily Prophet_'s been saying… They might not want me in the team…' he muttered.

'Oh Harry,' I sighed. 'That wouldn't change a thing, you know that. For one; you're the best Seeker that Hogwarts has had in years, and two; as soon as You-Know-Who starts making himself known, Fudge possible couldn't deny it.'

Harry didn't say anything; instead he smiled weakly at me and carried on with his essay.

_Fred's POV:_

I watched her as she walked through the portrait hole, and immediately went over to my little brother Ron, without even looking at me. Why did that hurt so much? It wasn't as if we were even that close. Ron and Harry were her best friends; of course she'd want to talk to them. Why would she want to talk to me? We barely even see each other when she's not at the Burrow.

I wonder if she ever thinks about me. I sure think about her a lot; if she could read my mind then she'd probably be a bit creeped out.

'Freddie?'

I snapped out of my day dream at the sound of George's voice.

'Yes, Georgie?'

'Young Euan here would like to test our products for money. Shall we get started?' said George, his arm around a small boy with mousy brown hair.

'Of course!' I turned to Euan. 'Euan Abercrombie, is it?' I asked.

'Y-yes…' he mumbled.

'Brilliant!' I exclaimed.

'Lovely, well if you'll excuse us one second,' said George.

'We'll head upstairs and grab a few products.'

George and I ran over to the stairs leading up to the dormitory and grabbed a box full of an assortment of skiving sweets. As we ran back down to the common room, we found Euan standing exactly where we'd left him, as if he was rooted on the spot.

'Right,' I began.

'Here we've got,' George continued.

'Nosebleed nougat.'

'Fainting fancies.'

'And fever fudge.'

'If you're wondering,' said George, 'we've already tried these on ourselves; they do work. We're just making sure they react the same with everybody.'

I picked up a pink and yellow fever fudge and said; 'Right, shall we begin with this one?'

'FRED WEASLEY GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW,' said a voice. Not just any voice; Hermione's voice.

'What is it?' I asked, closing my hand over the fever fudge.

'_You are not allowed to test those… those –__** things**__ on first years!' _she yelled, storming over to the chairs where me and George sat.

'They're harmless, Hermione… We tested them on ourselves first,' I protested.

'That does not mean you can force first years to take them!'

'We're not forcing them!' I yelled, standing up. 'Euan _offered_ to, and we're paying him, anyway!'

Hermione glared at me through the slits that had become her eyes, and turned on her heel, storming upstairs to her dormitory.

'If looks could kill…' muttered George.

'Shut up,' I snapped.

**AN: right, hey! **

**Tell me what you think! I prefer doing it in POVs, what do you think?**

**Thanks for reading! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: all characters belong to Queen Rowling! I own nothing but the plot line.**_

_Chapter Four_

_**AN: Hey guys c: **_

_**Sorry it's taken me soooo long to update. I've been busy with school and stuff so yep cool on with the story.**_

_**THANKYOU :D**_

Fred's POV:

After Hermione shouted at George and me in the common room, the first years were almost too terrified to come within 10 feet of us; it was quite off-putting. Over the next few days, I kept meaning to go up to Hermione. To apologise for deliberately going against what she said, blah blah blah. But I didn't. Where did all that Gryffindor courage go? She didn't even look at me for the next week, although I heard her on several occasions talking to Ron and Harry in the common room about how irresponsible George and I were.

'Freddie,' George said one night, as we lay in our comfy dormitory beds. 'Do you really like her?'

'Who?' I asked, but someone's name had already come to mind.

'Hermione, you idiot,' he sighed.

'Oh, her…' I mumbled. Of course. 'No, Georgie. You saw how she yelled at me, anyway. She hates me now.'

'She couldn't hate you if she tried,' George scoffed.

I didn't reply. What did he mean? She clearly did hate me, or dislike me at the least. If she did like me the slightest bit, she would have spoken to me. A smile? Anything would do. But what was I doing, worrying about a girl? If she liked me, she'd make it obvious. If not, I'd move on. It would be easy; it's not as if you can fall in love at this age.

'Gerogie,' I finally answered.

There was no reply, except for an almost silent snore coming from the bed beside me. Typical.

Hermione's POV:

I woke up in the morning feeling finally refreshed, after a long week of homework and studying, and getting ahead in classes. I still wasn't talking to Fred. Of course not. Why should I talk to someone that clearly doesn't listen? I'd quite happily forgive him if he'd just apologise for being so incompetent, but he hadn't, so the silent treatment continued.

I was walking down to a fairly early Sunday morning breakfast, when I was knocked out of balance by a tall ginger boy that I particularly didn't want to see.

'Oh my God! Sorry, Hermione,' panted Fred.

'Why in such a rush?' I said dryly.

Fred looked down and bit his lip. 'I was coming back to the common room to… To talk to… Someone, if you must know.'

He tried to side step to get around me. I quickly slipped in front of him. 'Who?' I enquired.

'None of your business, I'm not going to now, anyway.'

There was some form of disappointment in his voice, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

'Tell me who,' I ordered.

'It's none of your business,' he said, through his teeth.

'Fred,' I said sternly.

He didn't answer, instead he gently pushed my shoulder so I was out of the way, and walked slowly and awkwardly to the common room.

Almost as soon as he'd disappeared from sight, another tall ginger came around the corner and ran into me.

'George!' I exclaimed.

'Hermione! Great; just who I was looking for. Have you seen Fred?' George panted.

'Yes, he just went round that corner, why?'

'Did you talk to him?' he asked.

'Yes,' I answered. 'But he seemed a bit upset, you know?'

'What did he say?'

'That he was going to look for someone to talk to them and then that it didn't matter, or something… Look just go and find him yourself…'

'Is that all?' George began to speak very quickly.

'Yes, that's all! Look just go and find –'

But George had already taken off around the corner and out of sight. Slightly confused and extremely hungry, I continued to go and find Ginny, Harry or Ron to have breakfast, half-hoping that Fred and George would come back around the corner and do something completely hilarious to allow me to forget how misbehaving they could be.

Fred's POV:

'Why didn't you talk to her, you nutter?' said George when he found me sulking in the common room.

'Because she was so annoyed at me, Georgie. I'll talk to her another day, I…' I drifted off, not knowing how I was going to continue.

'Freddie, you're a Weasley; just turn on the charm.' He winked and stood up before going up to our dormitory.

Right then, I thought. I'll go talk to her. It can't be that hard? Say I'm stuck on homework and she'll jump at the chance to help…

I jumped up immediately and went back down to the Great Hall to find Hermione. She'd still be there, right? I hurried down the many staircases, hoping with all of me that she was still there; but no luck. I saw Harry and Ron sitting there without Hermione. Hoping that they'd know where she was, I walked over to them.

'Hello, lads,' I said cheerfully. 'Have you seen Hermione anywhere? I was hoping she could help me with some History of Magic questions I'm stuck on…'

'You're in luck, then,' Harry smiled. 'She just went to the library; and she might be there for a while.' He laughed.

'Thanks!' I chimed. 'See you later.'

I then rushed out of the slowly emptying Great Hall and went towards the library. I was slightly hesitant; although I was only apologising for not abiding the rules, I knew that she could be very stubborn. As I approached the library, however, I heard a blood curdling scream. Hermione's scream.

Shocked, I sprinted through the library, and over to the spot that I always knew she liked to study in. She was there, of course, with that Malfoy boy pointing his wand at her throat.

'Oh,' he said sarcastically. 'If it isn't her knight in shining armour.' Malfoy smirked.

'Let he go, Malfoy,' I growled, pulling out my own wand.

'I'm so scared,' he whispered, still smirking. And, with that, they disappeared. What? I'd listened to Hermione enough to know that you _can't_ apparate in and out of Hogwarts! So what did he do? I didn't know, all that I _did_ know, was that I had to find George, and fast.

I touched a small key that I had chained around my neck, and almost immediately, George was running through the library after me.

'Fred!' he called desperately.

'George, he took her. He took Hermione,' I whispered.

'Who?' he said. 'Who?'

'Malfoy,' I growled.

Hermione's POV:

I felt my feet lift off the cold library floor, but Malfoy's grip on my neck did not loosen. We were flown through the air at what seemed like a thousand miles per hour. How could this happen? You can't apparate from inside Hogwarts. Unless… A Portkey? But he would need the Ministry to Authorize it and…

I didn't have much more time to think, as we were soon jerked back to earth and I landed with a thud on a cold stone floor. I looked around me; the walls were the same stone and there was a deep red rug in front of me. I felt cold and miserable here. I felt Malfoy pull me up by the collar of my green shirt; he lifted up until I was eye level, and glared at me before pushing me forward. It took my brain a few seconds to realise who it was in front of me.

'Hello, Granger,' Bellatrix Lestrange purred. 'Nice of you to stop by.'

**AN:**

**Thanks for reading, guys c: **

**Review, subscribe, etc. whatever you want. :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: All characters etc belong to Queen Rowling.**_

_Chapter Five_

Hermione's POV:

I tried to take a step back, but Malfoy had me in an unbreakable arm-lock. I looked frantically around the room for a way to escape, when a thought stuck me. _Of course,_ I thought, _my wand!_ And so, I slipped my hand into my pocket carefully, and withdrew it.

'Expelliarmus!' cried Bellatrix. Damn. My wand flew out of my hand and landed with a clatter on the stony floor.

'Silly girl,' she smirked. 'You can't outsmart me. Draco, drop her,' she ordered: and at that moment, I felt my legs give in below me and I landed in a heap on the floor.

'Petrificus Totalus!' A bright light shot out of the end of her wand and the next thing I knew, I was as stiff as a board, on the floor. I had no choice but to look up at the ceiling above me and hope that the effects of the spell would wear off soon; my wand was only a few feet away.

I heard Bellatrix's high heeled boots step over to where I was laying. She looked down at me, her wand pointed at my chest.

'Crucio,' she whispered.

And just like that, I felt as though there was a fire inside of me, scratching and burning at every possible bit of flesh. All my muscles were constantly contracting and relaxing repeatedly. My vision slowly went black, but I was perfectly conscious. I felt my body begin to curl up, and the first scream escaped my lips. My voice was scratchy and painful, but I kept screaming, with the hope that someone would find me. And they did.

'Expelliarmus!' two voices yelled at once. The pain stopped, and I lay on my back with my eyes closed, not daring to open them again.

'Leave, Malfoy,' one voice snarled. I heard Malfoy's footsteps echo off into the distance. And then, a pair of soft but strong arms enclosed around my body and lifted me up, bridal style.

'Hermione, are you okay?' It was Fred's voice. He came to save me.

'Yeah,' I murmured into his chest. My mind went black and I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

Fred's POV:

She closed her eyes and it seemed like she was asleep, and so I set her down on the side of the room, before joining George in facing Bellatrix Lestrange.

'You're not going to get away with him,' George growled.

'But sweetheart, I already have,' she purred.

I pulled out my wand. 'Reducto!' I cried.

Bellatrix Lestrange was pushed backwards by an invisible force into a long table behind her, snapping it in half. Despite this, she sat up, smirked, and disappeared with a flick of her wand.

George and I looked at each other.

'She got away…' I whispered, disappointed.

'We'll get her back for this,' George answered angrily. 'Now, get Hermione, and contact Dumbledore before someone else comes.'

I pulled out a pad that Dumbledore had earlier given me. A bit like a muggle instant messaging system, Dumbledore's matching pad would heat up when he received a message from me.

_Bellatrix Lestrange was behind it,_ I wrote. _But she got away. Hermione's alright. I think we're at Malfoy Manor._

Almost at once, Dumbledore appeared at our side.

'Where's Miss Granger, boys?' he asked politely.

George and I said nothing, but lead him over to the side of the room where I'd set Hermione down. I picked her up again, so that Dumbledore could get a good look at her.

'Let us not dawdle,' he said. 'Grab my arm.' He held up his arm and George and I held on, one of my hands clutching Hermione tightly.

Hermione's POV:

I woke up in the hospital wing, wearing soft white pyjamas that Madam Pomfrey had given me. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around. It was very dark, and Fred and George were both asleep in separate chairs on either side of me. Smiling slightly, I crossed my legs and leant forward.

'Fred,' I whispered. 'Wake up, Fred.'

'What?' he said abruptly. 'Is she okay?'

'Is who okay?' I smiled sweetly.

'Oh, I…' Fred blushed slightly in the moonlight. 'Don't wake up George,' he added.

Fred stood up and sat on the end of my hospital bed. I edged further towards him.

'Why did you come and save me?' I wondered.

'I went to the library to apologise to you,' he explained. 'And, yeah… I'm really sorry for not listening to you, Hermione. I know that you're a proud person, and I shouldn't go against what you say, because you're almost always right. Well… Okay, _always_ right.' He grinned sheepishly.

I smiled back. 'How did you know where Malfoy took me? And how did you get out of Hogwarts? You can't apparate out -'

But Fred cut me off. 'I know that,' he laughed. 'We went straight to Dumbledore, and he gave us these.' He held out two identical note pads.

'What are they?' I asked, intrigued.

'Communication Pads,' he answered. 'You write in one,' (he pulled out a quill, and wrote _Fred Weasley_ in one of them, handing the other to me) 'and the other one heats up and the message shows up.' Just as he said it, the pad that he'd given me heated up slightly. I opened it, and there written on the page was _Fred Weasley_, as if he'd just written it in mine as well.

'That's amazing!' I exclaimed, hanging him back the pad.

He pushed it away. 'Keep it,' he smiled. 'And I'll keep this one.'

I smiled slightly, and George stirred beside us.

'Here, Hermione,' he whispered, handing me my clothes from the day before. 'Meet me outside here in a minute.' Fred winked, and then walked off.

I stepped over to the bed next to me and pulled across the curtains, before changing into my old clothes. Madam Pomfrey must have cleaned and dried them, because they smelled of lavender and were toasty warm. Grabbing the trainers I'd been wearing, I shot outside of the hospital wing, eager to see what Fred was going to do.

'Hello, Love,' he greeted, smiling.

'Hi…' I answered suspiciously.

He didn't say anything else, but loosely grabbed my arm and guided me towards the Entrance Hall.

'Accio broom,' he whispered, and a few seconds later, his old broom came shooting towards us. He climbed on and beckoned me to join him. I shook my head.

'No way am I getting on that,' I said sternly.

'Pretty please?' he begged.

'No,' I demanded. 'I can't fly.'

'_You_ won't have to fly, _I _will.' He grinned.

I sighed and got on behind him, clutching his chest for my dear life, even though we hadn't taken off yet.

'Are you ready?' he asked.

'Yes,' I lied.

He kicked off the ground immediately and the wind rushed past my ears, ruffling my hair. I clung on to his body more tightly, and I felt him chuckle beneath my arms.

'Bit scared?' he yelled above the wind.

'Yes!' I yelled back.

'I'll slow down a bit!'

And just like that, the wind rushing past me practically stopped, and I could hear his breathing a lot clearer. We flew in silence down to the lake. He allowed my fingers to skim the icy water, and we flew right up to the clouds, where I could see all of Hogwarts.

Fred's POV:

It was so comforting, feeling her arms locked tightly around me. But I knew she trusted me. She knew that I wouldn't let her drop. Ever.

'Fred,' she said weakly. 'I'm really cold.'

I awkwardly took off my jumper with one hand (still holding on to the broom with the other) and handed it to her. She gave me a smile full of gratitude.

We flew around in a comfortable silence for a while, but when I saw a slight shade of pink spreading across the horizon, I decided it was best if we went in.

I tilted my broomstick forwards and landed swiftly on the ground, my whole body shaking from the cold.

'You're cold,' she stated. 'Have your jumper back, here…' She began to take it off, but I stopped her.

'No, just wear it. We'll be inside soon anyway,' I said, my teeth chattering.

She just simply giggled, and we headed inside the large castle in hope to get some sleep. When it came for us to part ways, she gave me my jumper along with a long hug.

'Thank you,' she whispered into my chest.

I didn't ask what she was thankful for, although I really didn't have a clue. The next thing I knew, she had turned on her heel and was walking towards the hospital wing.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line. :D**_

_Chapter Six_

Hermione's POV:

As I walked back to the hospital wing, I couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across my windswept face. What did this mean? Did Fred like me? Wait… Did I like Fred?

I found that George had woken up and presumably gone back to the common room, where I wished I could be. Instead, I had to wait for Madam Pomfrey to wake me up in a few hours to send me back. I sighed. _Did_ Fred like me? Well, there was no way to tell really; he may have just wanted to allow me to take my mind off what happened at Malfoy Manor.

But there was still a part of me that was thinking, _no._ Maybe he _did_ really have feelings for me. But, if he did, then he would tell me, right? I was so confused, but tired too, surprisingly; I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. I dreamt about the night that Fred and I had shared together; about flying high over the highest towers in Hogwarts, and low so that my face was being sprayed with icy water from the lake below. I found that I was incredibly relaxed whenever I thought of him, and even when Madam Pomfrey rudely awoke me the following morning, I wasn't aggravated at all.

It was a Monday, but I'd been woken up at 10:00AM, and so Madam Pomfrey gave me permission to go up to my dormitory and freshen up before re-joining my lessons after lunch.

I hurried up to the common room and after finding (not to my surprise) that it was empty, I climbed the spiralled stairs to my dormitory before grabbing a towel and taking a long, hot shower. It seemed to clear my head a little, and I felt incredibly refreshed once I stepped out. I suddenly realised how terrible I must have looked last night when I saw Fred… After all, I _had_ just had the Cruciatus Curse used on me. Oh, God. But he wouldn't care, would he? He'd known me for years as the girl with busy hair and buck teeth; so even after that he still cared about me. Wait, no. I didn't know for sure that he did. But he might? Oh, I don't know.

Fred's POV:

After double transfiguration with McGonagall, I headed for lunch. _Finally!_ I was starving. Because I'd been up so late with Hermione, I missed breakfast; as did George. We both grabbed our bags off the table and practically ran to the Great Hall to find decent seats.

'Fred, George!' Ron called, and so we went to join Harry, Ginny and him.

'Hello Lads,' I said.

'And Lass,' George added for Ginny's sake.

'We've just had Defence Against the Dark Arts with Umbridge,' Harry sighed sadly. 'We need to do something about her.'

'We've already got something, mate,' George said.

'But you're just not exactly co-operating very well…' I added.

'I'm not teaching anybody, no way,' said Harry.

'Please, Harry?' begged Ron.

Harry began to protest, but Ginny cut him off. 'Look, Harry,' she said. 'You're the best hope we've got. You've been through all this stuff and you can be as modest as you like, but no one else has been through what you have. So, you can either agree to help and teach us, or you can fail your OWLs and Fred and George can fail their NEWTs, and when You-Know-Who attacks we'll just stand by and watch. Does that sound like a good plan to you?'

Luckily, just at that moment, Hermione strode over, so harry didn't have to continue. _Wow,_ I thought. _Ginny really could be harsh when she wanted to be._

Hermione smiled at each one of us in turn, then sat next to me; a bit closer than you would expect her to do so. Harry, Ron, Ginny and George however, didn't seem to notice, and were still bickering about what to do about Umbridge.

'Harry,' Hermione said clearly. She looked at him with those big brown eyes that twinkled under the afternoon sun. 'You don't have to do this. You know you don't; but there's a bit of you that wants to, right? You don't want Vol… Voldemort to come and easily defeat us, without us putting up a fight, right? So let's do this! It would be great!'

'I don't know…' Harry begun.

'You don't need to know. Not right now, anyway. You can have a few days to think; but not too many, mind you; I need something to occupy my time with.'

I looked at her in amazement. How she'd changed over the past few years! Before, she was practically like a little sister that I never really hung out with. Sure, she had that bushy hair and quite large teeth, but I never really noticed. I never really noticed her change, either, until that night of the Yule Ball last year, when she walked down the stairs and looked completely gorgeous in every way. I looked at her now; she had her hair back in a messy bun and her lips were pinker, but still looked natural and pretty. Her skin was the same naturally clear, but her cheeks had a little bit more natural colour. What a beautiful human being.

'Fred?'

Oh, it was Ron.

'Yes, small brother of mine?'

'I said; would you be up to meet us in the Hogs Head next Saturday?' asked Ron.

'What? Oh, yeah. That's fine. Right, George?'

'Right,' George agreed.

A sudden thought struck me. I had to talk to Hermione. Alone. I swiftly took out a spare bit of parchment and scribbled a note on it, before passing it to Hermione, hoping that no one saw me. I watched as she opened it between her petite fingers and her face lit up.

'Okay,' she mouthed.

Hermione's POV:

_Hermione, meet me in the common room at 12:30 tonight._

That's what the note from Fred read. And to be honest, I was buzzing with excitement. After lunch I had double Potions, Arithmacy and Herbology. After that, I could start to fret about what he would say to me when I met him.

Potions was boring, (and that's saying something, coming from me) because all Harry and Ron did was talk about what bits of magic that Harry should teach us when the time came.

Arithmacy was just brilliant, as usual, with no gossiping boys in my class, although I already knew everything that Professor Vector was saying, and so I just made lots more notes.

By the time Herbology came around, it really didn't feel like the end of the day. Professor Sprout had us learning how to handle _Fanged Geranium _without it biting us.

And so, by the end of my lessons, I was actually tired of learning, for once, and extremely excited that I'd be talking to Fred later on. God, what was he doing to me? I needed to concentrate for my OWLs, and I knew that; I just really _really_ liked spending time with Fred.

Harry, Ron and I walked back up to the castle and away from the greenhouses; towards Gryffindor Tower. By this time I just wanted the evening to be done with, but of course that couldn't happen.

'What are you so happy about?' Ron asked, grinning.

'Oh, just… Er – About finding a way round Umbridge's terrible teaching,' I lied.

'Same!' exclaimed Ron, before going into a full script of what he would say to those people in the Hogs Head the upcoming Saturday.

Fred's POV:

That evening went slower than any other evening I'd ever lived. George, who I'd finally confronted about my feelings for Hermione, and I were playing wizard's chess and exploding snap until the common room began to slowly empty. We went up to our own dormitory to find Lee Jordan writing a letter to his parents.

I kept an eye on the old battered watch on my left wrist. It seemed as though the minutes hand was going 1 mile per hour. Finally, it was midnight. The rest of my dormitory were asleep, so I got out of my four-poster bed and grabbed a clean shirt and jeans out of my draw and went into the bathroom to change. I must have spent ages cleaning my teeth (just in case) because when I next looked at my watch, it was 12:27. I took a deep breath and tiptoed down the spiralling stairs into the common room. Hermione wasn't there yet, and the fire was off so the room felt cold and miserable. I got my wand and set the fire back on, to make a more homely effect, before sitting on one of the large sofas; the one facing the girls dormitories.

I sat there for just a few minutes, until I saw her walking down the stairs; her hair up the same messy bun as earlier, wearing skinny jeans and a baggy rose-pink crop top.

And believe me, she looked beautiful.

**AN: thanks for reading guys! I'm going to leave the common room scene for the next chapter (of course) and don't worry, it won't be long until they get together ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, not me.**_

_Chapter Seven!_

Fred's POV:

'Hello,' I greeted, grinning.

'Hey,' she replied shyly.

Hermione's eyes darted around the circular room, and then quickly back to me. A small smile spread across her lips.

'What did you want to talk to me about?' she asked, walking in long strides over to me.

'No particular reason,' I said. 'I just wanted to talk to you… About, er…'

'About what?' she whispered, touching my arm with her hand, looking up at me.

About last night. Right, now I just had to say it out loud.

'About… Er, I – sit down, please.' I laughed feebly.

'Is everything okay, Fred?' She sounded concerned.

'I'm fine, seriously,' I began. 'I just… I really like you, Hermione. I think you're beautiful, honestly. And well you know, I understand if you don't feel the same way because well you know you probably don't, I don't even know why I'm saying this…'

Hermione didn't say anything for a few seconds. Slowly, a smile started to spread across her face.

'I know completely what you mean,' she said quietly. 'And I do like you, Fred. Quite a lot, to be honest,' she laughed. 'Sorry, I'm kinda new to this,' she added.

What did she say? She liked me back? What? This was brilliant. So, why couldn't I say anything? I was stunned. How could a beautiful girl like her, like a troublemaker like me?

'But,' Hermione said. 'If you would, please don't tell Ron… I don't think he'll take it the right way; his best friend with his older brother.'

'Yeah, that's fine.' I felt myself smile. 'So, does that mean we're…?'

'A couple?' she asked. 'I guess.'

'Brilliant,' I said. And, just like that, I leant forward and put my hand on her arm and pressed my lips gently to hers. She kissed me back immediately, and I could taste her spearmint toothpaste, and smell the strawberry conditioner she'd used in her hair.

We sat there for a while, kissing on that sofa. Soon, she pulled away.

'I'm really tired,' she yawned. 'I think I'm gonna go to b-b-bed.' She yawned again.

'Okay,' I laughed. 'Goodnight, love.'

''Night,' she said, smiling.

Hermione's POV:

In the morning, I was awoken by the girls in my dormitory rushing around, putting on their heaps of makeup. I couldn't be bothered with that; beauty isn't just skin deep! After the night before with Fred, I was feeling very pleased with myself. Lots of girls from many years and houses wanted to be with Fred and George. It was quite cute really, seeing them swoon whenever they were there. But Fred as mine. _All mine. _And what was that he'd called me? Love. How cute!

I shuffled down the spiral stairs and found myself in the familiar common room. A mess of ginger and black ran over to me. It was George.

'Congrats with Freddie,' he said, winking.

'You know?' I asked, worried. What if he'd gone blabbing it round? Ron would never speak to me again…

'Hermione,' he said, looking into my eyes. 'We're twins. We share everything; expect me to be a part of your relationship now, too.' George winked again.

'Right then…' I muttered.

'Now now, George. Don't harass the lady,' said Fred, waltzing over to where we were standing.

'Sorry, Fred. You know I just can't resist,' he retorted.

'Right, good morning, Love. Did you sleep well?' he asked, turning to me.

'Yes thank you,' I answered, blushing.

'Lovely!' he exclaimed. 'Hungry? George and I will happily escort you down to breakfast.' The twins held out their arms on either side of me.

I laughed. 'Okay, then.'

And so, the twins and I made our way to the Great Hall for breakfast. We talked the whole way; that was what I loved about Fred and George. They were so easy to talk to, and they were just so funny it was unreal. They made me laugh the whole way down to breakfast, and when we sat down with Harry and Ron, their humour didn't stop.

We sat down on the wooden table, and I grabbed a bowl of porridge and started digging in.

'Hermione,' Harry said. 'How many people exactly are coming to the Hogs Head on Sunday?'

I quickly swallowed the porridge and my throat burned.

'Just a few…' I murmured. I'd asked Luna and Ginny to find as many people as possible to go. It was just a guess, but I'd say about thirty so far. But I knew that if Harry knew, he wouldn't want to talk to them.

'And how many _is_ 'just a few'?' he enquired.

'I'm not sure, okay! Not too many.' I quickly shoved more porridge into my barely-recovered mouth.

Fred's POV:

The rest of the week went by quickly. In between classes, I would find Hermione and walk her to her next class; every class. When we were alone, I would hold her hand, and kiss her, but she was too afraid to tell Harry and Ron. Why, though? Was she embarrassed to be with me?

Before I knew it, it was Saturday. I slept in, had a late lunch, spent some time with Hermione (and George), and then it was Quidditch practise. That was Ron's first practise on the team, and, truth be told, he wasn't very good. Despite this, George and I didn't tease him that much. Maybe a little bit, when we were in the changing rooms. And every time he missed a goal. And before he'd even started. But that didn't matter! We were his brothers; it was our job to tease him. I really hoped he didn't tell Hermione so she wouldn't shout at me.

That night, I secretly asked her to see me in the common room at 12:30 again that night. I really missed talking to her and kissing her for a long time.

'Fred,' she greeted, as she walked once more down the stairs that night.

'Hello, love,' I said, in barely more than a whisper, as I walked over to her and softly grabbed her hands.

We sat and talked for a while, while I gently ran my fingers through her hair. We shared kisses every now and then, and her cheeks were blushing furiously.

'Fred?' she suddenly said.

'Yes, love?'

'I really do want to tell people about us, you know.' She said this in a whisper.

'I know,' I whispered back. 'I know…'

'It's just Ron… I don't think he'd… Take it well, you know?'

'I know,' I repeated. 'You can tell people about us when you're ready, okay?'

'Well…' she murmured. 'I was hoping that _you_ could tell Ron… For me… If it's okay…'

'Of course.' I smiled gently. 'When do you want me to?'

'What about after the meeting tomorrow? Wait, are you coming?'

'Sure. And of course I am! Wouldn't miss it for the world.' I winked.

'Great!' she beamed. 'Right, I'm actually exhausted.' Hermione gave a huge yawn, and I felt her minty breath touch my cheek. 'I'll see you tomorrow, okay?'

'Okay, love,' I said, kissing her deeply. 'Sleep well.'

And so we walked separate ways, off to our dormitories. I was dreading talking to Ron the next day, but for Hermione, I would. I'd do anything for her.

The next morning, I woke up late. Oops.

I wasn't late for Harry, Ron and Hermione's meeting, but I missed breakfast and was very hungry. When George, Lee and I finally wandered down to Hogsmeade, it wasn't yet time for the meeting; so we went to Zonko's for a bit. We stocked up on lots of products, although not spending too much (maybe Hermione had finally rubbed off on me).

Finally, it was time for the meeting. Lee, Georgie and I were one of the first ones there, so we all got decent seats. Slowly, more and more people shuffled in, and finally the meeting started. I heard Hermione grab everyone's attention, but I wasn't listening. I was too busy panicking about what I would say to Ron later on. I didn't care if he got angry; there wasn't much he could do to me, but I really didn't want him to hate Hermione for it.

'Hey uh, Ron?' I called, once the meeting was finished and everyone was headed outside.

'What is it, Fred?' he asked.

I took him over to the side of the path and swallowed nervously.

'What is it?' he asked again.

Oh my God. 'I, uh…' I stammered.

'Is everything okay? Did something happen to mum? Dad?' Ron started to sound worried.

'No, no!' I exclaimed. 'Everything's fine, I just…'

'Just what?' he demanded.

'How do you feel about Hermione?' I felt myself turn slightly red.

Ron turned red, too. 'I, uh… She's a friend…' he murmured.

'Right,' I said slowly. 'So how would you feel if I uh…'

'You what, Fred?' he enquired.

I took a deep breath. 'How would you feel if me and Hermione sort of… Went out?'

'You _what?'_ he exclaimed.

I took another deep breath. 'Listen, Ron… I really like her… I mean, if you don't want me to, I…' But then I stopped. Because, if Ron wasn't happy with us being together, it wouldn't change a thing. I liked her. A lot.

'No,' he snapped. 'It's fine. I hope you and Hermione have a wonderful relationship.' He stormed off.

Oh crap; he was mad at us.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: all things Harry Potter related belong to JK Rowling! **_

_Chapter Eight;_

Hermione's POV:

That night, I sat by the flickering fire in my favourite seat, completing the extra Arithmacy homework that had been set. Hopefully Fred had spoken to Ron, and everything would be okay, and we could let everyone know that we were together. The portrait hole swung open abruptly and Ron came in, giving me a cold stare before storming off to his dormitory. Fred followed, his head lowered.

'What happened?' I asked, getting up and walking over to him.

'He didn't take it too well,' Fred mumbled, putting one arm around my shoulders lightly.

I lead him over to the fire to sit down. 'Does he hate me?' I whispered.

'No, Hermione.' Fred looked me straight in the eyes. 'He could never hate you… He just needs time.'

I didn't reply. Instead, I wrapped my legs underneath me and put my head on his shoulder. Homework could wait until the morning.

'Hermione,' said a voice. It wasn't Fred's.

I looked up to find Harry looking at me, his emerald eyes filled with emotion.

'What is it?' I asked him, leaning up.

'Ron told me about… About you two.'

'Right…' I mumbled.

'Just come over here,' Harry sighed.

I got up from the sofa and walked over to Harry. 'What is it?' I asked.

'I just wanted to make sure you're making the right choice,' he mumbled.

'What do you mean by that?' I asked slowly.

'I mean… Well, you know… Ron's really upset.'

'And…?' I said. 'Look Harry, I really do appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I really like Fred… Like _really_ like him. I didn't wish for Ron to be mad at us but he'll get over himself, it's not as if he thought I _knew_ he liked me, after how he's treated me all these years.'

'You can't blame him really.' Harry smiled. 'He's Ron, isn't he?'

I laughed. 'Please, Harry… Try to get him not to be mad at Fred and I. He's still one of my best friends, just nothing more.'

Harry sighed. 'Okay, Hermione. I'll talk to him now.' He shuffled back upstairs to his dormitory.

'Hello, sorry about that,' I said to Fred, as I walked back over to him.

'Hello, Gorgeous,' he greeted, grinning.

I smiled; this was just perfect.

Fred's POV:

I couldn't understand why Ron was so angry at us. It wasn't as if he'd ever shown any interest in her, for God's sake! I was literally crazy about her. Every waking minute, I was thinking about her, when I would next see her, when I would next kiss her.

As I sat in my dormitory, waiting for George to get out of the bathroom so I could get ready to sleep, I felt an incredibly strange burning sensation coming from under my mattress. What the hell was that? I leaped off my bed, and found my trunk underneath my bed. I dug through it, feeling the heat growing stronger as I explored. Eventually, I found that communication pad that Dumbledore had leant George and I… I'd given one to Hermione! Excitedly, I opened it and read the message.

_Fred, _it read.

_I forgot we had these! I guess they'll come in handy now. Do you want to meet in the common room again tonight? It's nothing important; I just love spending time with you… really. Well, hope to see you later._

_Love Hermione_

I smiled; trust Hermione to remember something as small as a little bit of magic. I grabbed the quill attached to the side, and wrote back.

_Hello love,_

_Yes of course, is 12:30am okay for you?_

_Fred_

Guess I wouldn't need to get ready for bed, then. She wrote back almost straight away saying that she'd see me then, and I closed the pad and placed it carefully under my pillow. George stepped out of the bathroom with a navy blue towel in his hand.

'What's happened to you?' he asked. 'You look like Zonko's is having a 75% sale.'

I laughed. 'Nothing,' I answered. I could feel my ears turn red, but I ignored it, hoping that George wouldn't notice.

'Pssht, yeah, and I'm Gilderoy Lockhart,' he said sarcastically.

'Oh shut up,' I groaned, getting up off my bed. 'It's nothing that concerns you.' I grinned.

George turned away. 'If you say so, Forge.'

Hermione's POV:

I was sat in my bed, leaning over some Ancient Runes books that we hadn't yet looked at in class. I'd just spoken to Fred on Dumbledore's communication pad, and we would be meeting in the common room later on… I just needed to keep myself awake until then. And the best way to do that? To study, of course.

'I swear that's like, all you do?' said Lavender Brown, as she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a hot pink towel around her blonde head.

'Of course it is,' I snapped. 'I wouldn't want to fall behind!'

'Pssht, like you'd fall behind.'

I laughed. 'Still, there's nothing better to do.'

Lavender walked over to me. 'You could try and get some sleep, you know,' she said. 'If you got some precious beauty sleep, that Ron Weasley might go out with you!'

What? 'Excuse me?' I asked, shocked.

'Everybody knows you fancy him,' she giggled. 'Although… I wouldn't mind being introduced to him.' She winked.

'No way!' I exclaimed. Should I tell her about Fred and me? He'd told Ron, so I guess that meant we were making it public… Well I'd better not, just in case.

Lavender giggled again. 'If you say so!' She winked. God, this girl was annoying.

'No, seriously. There's nothing between Ron and I… I can introduce you to him, if you'd like!' I had to say anything to get me out of that situation.

'Yay!' she squealed. Oh my God, she was so annoying. 'Thank you, thank you! _Thank you!'_ She wrapped her damp arms loosely around my shoulders awkwardly. 'He's _brilliant_, isn't he?'

'Yeah,' I agreed. 'He's my best friend, Lavender. Well one of them,' I added.

'You're so _lucky_, Hermione,' she sighed. 'Harry Potter and Ron Weasley as best friends… Don't take it in the wrong way, but _how_ did _you_ become best friends with _them_?' she enquired.

I couldn't help but take it in the wrong way, of course. But I didn't say anything. 'They saved me from a troll,' I answered truthfully, grinning broadly.

'That's so sweet!' she cooed. 'Right, I'm _soooooo_ tired. I'll see you in the morning, Hermione!' Lavender leapt up from my bed and took the towel off of her hair, drying it with a quick spell, before jumping into bed and pulling the curtains of her bed around her. I checked the clock; 11:43. Damn, too early to go to the common room to see Fred. But I'd go down anyway, as to not disturb the other girls in my dorm by reading. I was kind of glad that I was on speaking terms with one of them, to be honest. I'd never really had a _girl_friend, besides Ginny, although she was more of a little sister. I really needed a girl that I could talk to boys about... And that was what I'd just done with Lavender… I think? I wasn't sure. Although I suppose boys were just easier to get along with; they were less squealy.

Fred's POV:

My bedside clock said it was 11:46, so I'd be bored until I could go and see Hermione. But, to make sure I didn't wake up my snoring dorm-mates, I decided I'd go down to the common room anyway. And so I grabbed some homework that Trelawney had set, and I took it downstairs.

I dragged a soft arm chair to the fire (awkwardly, with one hand) and set my homework down on the table. With a heavy sigh, I opened it and begun to read about dreams.

Suddenly, I heard a stair creak from behind me. I turned around; it was Hermione.

'Hello, love,' I greeted, standing up and wrapping my arms around her slender figure.

'Hi, Fred,' she breathed, looking up at me with huge, soft brown eyes. 'You're doing homework?' She laughed.

'Yes, actually,' I said proudly. 'Just some of Trelawney's stuff though; nothing important.'

'I hate that woman…' Hermione muttered angrily.

'Then let's not talk about that,' I said lightly, as I lead her over to the warm fire.

'Fred,' she begun. 'Are we uh… Telling people about… Us?'

I grinned. 'If that's alright with you.'

'Of course…' She looked to the ground, her cheeks blushing a slight pink.

'Hey,' I said. 'Do you want to go for a walk?' I asked innocently.

'No! It's freezing!' she said, laughing.

'And…?' I winked.

'That means we'll get cold…' she murmured.

'Wow. Hermione Granger, smartest witch of her age; when it's cold outside, we humans also get cold. Brilliant observation; that'll be one for the science books,' I joked.

'Shut up!' she laughed, hitting me lightly with a pillow from the sofa.

'I'm joking, love,' I said, putting my arm round her and grinning jokingly.

'Can't we just sit inside?' she asked. 'The fire's so relaxing.'

'True,' I agreed. 'Okay, we'll stay here. It's fine with me.'

And so we just sat there in the firelight, talking and laughing and just messing around. I really did love spending time with her; I felt as though she forgot about her homework when she was with me. It was almost as if she was a different person. In a good way, of course. I loved it when she got all serious… It was so damn cute.

**AN: sorry I haven't updated for a while guys! Sooo caught up in school and stuff -_- but I'll try whenever I can!**

**Rate, Review, Subscribe, whatever c:**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line!**_

_**Sorry sorry sorry it's been so long! :( I really wanted to update sooner but well I wasn't getting very many reviews so I just gave up for a bit, I suppose… And I have loads of exams and stuff -_- but I'll try and update regularly now! **_

_**LOVE YOU ALL**_

_Chapter Nine!_

Hermione's POV:

After the night before with Fred, my head was spinning; I was beginning to like him much more than I'd originally planned. Did he feel the same? I doubted it. It was probably just a crush for him; I never got any male attention… Not that it bothered me at all.

'Why were you in the common room so late last night?' a voice asked. It was Lavender; she was sat at the desk beside her bed, dragging a purple brush through her long blonde hair.

'What do you mean?' I asked, trying to keep it casual. How did she know I was up in the common room? She'd gone to bed long before I went down…

'I heard you come back up. That cat of yours caught a mouse or something; I could hear the poor thing squealing for ages. So, are you going to answer my question?' she demanded.

'Oh, I er… I was seeing my um… Fred.' I breathed in sharply and pretended to be deeply interested in a book.

'_Fred Weasley_?' she squealed. 'Are you… Are you _together_?'

I smiled without knowing. 'Yeah…' I mumbled.

Lavender let out another squeal of happiness. 'No _wonder_ you're not interested in Ron! Ah of course… His brother… _Wow,_ Hermione. That's amazing…'

I blushed slightly.

'Is it a secret though?' she asked.

'No, why?' I answered.

'Oh… Well, you didn't tell me anything last night. I just thought maybe you weren't telling anyone.'

I laughed quietly. 'Oh, I wasn't sure if we _were_ telling people, so I kept my mouth shut… I'm sorry,' I added awkwardly.

'It's fine!' she said busily, as she grabbed some dark eye pencil and started putting it on.

'I'll… See you later,' I mumbled, before hurrying down to breakfast. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Fred and George were there waiting.

'Hello, love,' Fred said, kissing me on the forehead.

'If you don't mind,' said George. 'I won't kiss you… But good morning.' He smiled broadly.

'Good morning, boys,' I said calmly, smiling at each one of them in turn.

They each grabbed one of my arms. 'Let's go down to breakfast,' said George.

I smiled again, and allowed them to take me to the Great Hall, where many jealous-looking girls scanned their darkened eyes over me and the twins.

'Fred,' I whispered, trying to go slyly on my tip-toes so I could reach his ear. 'People are staring…'

Fred laughed. 'Let them stare!' he whispered back. 'It's better than them picking fights with you, anyway,' he winked.

'Very funny,' I said dryly.

We took a seat towards the middle of the table; Fred and I on one side, and George on the other. Harry and Ron soon joined us; Ron looking rather sour. As he sat, we had a few seconds eye-contact, and I gave him a warm smile. He didn't return it.

'Remember to tell everybody about meeting in the Room of Requirement, Harry,' I reminded him.

'Of course,' he said. 'I told Ginny to tell the people in her year; and Luna to tell all the Ravenclaws. It should get around easily enough.'

'Brilliant,' I said, smiling.

I looked up at Fred sitting next to me. He rubbed his roughened hands (probably due to years of Quidditch) over my soft ones. Our eyes met and I saw him blush slightly, which made me giggle.

'Do you mind? I don't want to choke on my breakfast,' said Ron with a huge glare on his face. He was directing it at Fred.

'You don't exactly have to look, mate,' Fred retaliated.

'It's bloody difficult when you're right in front of me!' Ron yelled. 'It's disgusting, seeing you looking at each other with that bloody look on your faces.' He stood up, grabbed his bag and another piece of toast and stormed out of the hall. Fred was breathing heavily and I put my hand on his arm, as if to say, 'It's okay, he'll get over it'.

Of course, neither of us knew that for sure. Ron could be quite persistent sometimes, and if he wanted to be mad at us, then he would be. Simple as that. Unfortunately, Fred was his brother, which I suppose made him even more infuriated.

But it wasn't exactly my fault! He'd never shown any interest in me before, apart from when I was the only one left for the Yule Ball. He didn't even realise I was a _girl_ till then. Was I really that bad? A wave of sadness rushed over me as I thought about how the others in my year must see me. Just a swotty, manly git, I suppose.

Soon, it was time for first lesson. Fred grumbled and walked me to potions, holding my hand tightly, as if I would just fall out of his grasp. I smiled at him and he placed a soft kiss on my forehead before saying 'I'll see you later, love,' and walking away.

I could tell he was angry at Ron, and was unsure about how to act around me because Ron was supposed to be my 'friend'. This didn't bother me too much, though, because somehow I knew that Harry would figure out a way to get Ron to leave us be.

_Fred's POV:_

Lessons that day dragged by slowly. I practically lived for when I would see Hermione's fresh, smiling face. Her eyes, somehow, seemed to just make me happy, and her touch sent tingles through my nerves. She just made me so happy, and now Ron had to go and ruin even that. He's my _brother!_ He should be happy for me, not go round telling me that we were disgusting. It made me so fucking angry.

If I was with her, and he saw us together, all Ron would do is shoot us a look that could probably kill us, and storm off with Harry. But Harry didn't care that we were going out, and he was as good as my brother.

'Fred,' said Hermione that evening, as we sat down beside the warm fire in the common room. 'What if Ron really doesn't forgive me? I didn't mean to hurt him…' she mumbled.

'Sweetheart,' I whispered, leaning slightly closer to her worried face. 'Everything will be okay. I'll even get Harry to talk to him, if it makes you feel better.'

'But we _tried_, Fred! Ron's just so stubborn!' she practically yelled, although luckily no one else was paying any attention to us. 'Harry couldn't get him to just drop it, because he's just stupid, and arrogant, and…' Her voice trailed off and tears filled up her chocolate eyes.

Shit! 'Don't cry, love…' I sighed. 'He's not worth it. You've got me, and I'll make sure he doesn't do anything _too_ bad to you.' I winked; to lighten the mood but Hermione didn't look at me.

'He was one of my best friends…' she sobbed. I shuffled her onto my lap and she cried into my chest. I didn't say anything, and soon we were both drifting off into dreams…

_Hermione's POV:_

The first thing that I felt when I awoke was a strange body heat coming from my pillow. What? My eyes managed to flutter open and I found myself curled up on my boyfriend's lap. I couldn't help but laugh at the situation; imagining how funny we must have looked to our friends. I tried to move off of his lap but Fred's grip around me was tight. I shoved him lightly to wake him up.

'Fred,' I whispered. 'Time to get up…'

With a sharp intake of breath, Fred's eyes shot open.

'What did I miss?' he asked lazily, smiling broadly.

'You're holding me a bit too… tight,' I said, trying to wriggle free from his grasp.

'Oops! Sorry, love!' Fred immediately took his arms off from around me and I looked around the common room. No one was there. Were we late for lessons? The sun was low in the sky outside the window and a few birds were flying past, but seeing Hagrid's hut still with its curtains drawn, I assumed that I'd just woken up early.

'Sleep well?' Fred asked, yawning, and then winking.

'Of course,' I said sarcastically.

Fred just grinned and practically leaped towards me, closing the distance between our lips that were so desperately trying to meet. I had to stretch right on my tip-toes so he didn't lean over too much.

_Wow_, I thought. _I could get used to this._

**Thanks for reading!**

**Sorry again that I haven't updated for a while. I'll get started on the next chapter tomorrow evening (as I must go and revise now, for a biology exam -_-) please review, etc **

**Love you all xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: all rights belong to JK Rowling, because she is our Goddess. Always. 3**_

_**AN: thanks to all that have reviewed/subscribed/whatever, it's always appreciated! And sorry for the slow updates. But to really apologise; here's an extra-long chapter for you all! **_

_Chapter Ten!_

Hermione's POV:

The rest of that week was almost perfect for Fred and me. Despite Ron's petty attempts to upset me, I was truly, genuinely happy when I was with him. He just made me laugh so much when we were together. I'd never really experienced happiness in that way. With Ron and Harry it was always much more serious, as we'd probably be trying to save the wizarding world at the same time. But with Fred, I was just so… _carefree._ And, despite his disobedience in school, we also had our fair share or homework sessions in the library or in the common room. I just cared so deeply about him; it was incredibly difficult for me to be apart from him.

The only thing that was bothering me was his and George's constant plans of escaping the school to open their joke shop. As inspirational as it was, my time left with him was short as it was, and I didn't want him to leave school early and make our time even shorter. Because next year, I'd have to return to Hogwarts, and he wouldn't. The year after, I'd still be at school, and he'd be out there, in the real world. Making a living, becoming an adult…

I suddenly felt extremely young compared to him.

'Miss Granger?'

I snapped back to reality. I was sat in the Defence against the Dark Arts room, with an ugly face that belonged to Umbridge shoved into mine.

'Yes, Professor?' I practically spat.

'I asked you to open your book to page 329. But you did not appear to hear me. Care to tell the class what was occupying your mind, when you should listen to your superior?' Umbridge sneered.

'N – No, Professor.' I glared deeply at her. If looks could kill…

'Come and see me in my office at 8PM tonight, Granger.' She did that annoying laugh that always tickled the back of my neck, and trotted off back to her desk.

Unfortunately this tended to happen in quite a few of my lessons now; however never Defence against the Dark Arts. And other teachers didn't tend to give me a detention for it; since I was normally so active in class discussions. They were probably happy that I wasn't always putting up my hand.

Fred's POV:

I was so happy that things were starting to get really great with Hermione and me. I didn't let Ron say any more sarcastic comments to either of us; as I threatened I'd hex him. I really did care for her, I'll have you know. I'd never cared for anyone like that before. And it was a weekend towards the end of the term that things took a definite change for the best.

'Um, can I… Can I talk to you?' asked Ron, as he came up to Hermione and me in the common room.

'Of course, Ron,' said Hermione, looking slightly shocked at his kind tones.

'I just wanted to apologise,' he said softly. 'Because I really _am_ sorry. I never wanted to upset you, Hermione. And I never wanted to get you angry at me, Fred.' He almost laughed, but stopped himself at the last moment.

'Oh, Ron!' Hermione exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck. I could tell that he felt slightly awkward, but he hugged her back nonetheless. I felt a weak sense of jealousy, but ignored it as Hermione pulled away and put her soft hand on one of my rough ones.

'Thanks, Ron,' I mumbled sheepishly.

'Thank you so much.' Hermione smiled at her own kind words.

'Right well I'll let you two get on with… Whatever you're doing,' Ron said awkwardly. 'See you.'

We bid our farewells and Hermione turned towards me and smiled. 'Thank _God_ he's alright with us… That would have been quite an awkward Christmas!'

'Completely,' I laughed.

'Oh, crap!' she exclaimed. 'I have a detention with Umbridge!'

'_You_ have a detention?' I laughed.

'Yeah… Now, I seriously have to go!' She got up from my side and hurried out of the common room before I could even stop her.

Hermione's POV:

I was so worried for my detention with Umbridge; I'd seen what she'd done to Harry, and I dreaded what she'd do to me now.

I knocked twice on the large wooden door and heard her annoying voice chime, 'Come in!'

And so I opened it. She was sat behind her desk, holding a cup and saucer, sipping gently from it. Her walls were… _Decorated_ with hundreds of cats in paintings, and her desk had a picture of the Minister, as well as some neatly sorted paperwork and quills.

'You're going to be doing some lines for me today, Miss Granger,' she chirped. Oh, God.

I sat down at a small desk to the left of hers, and put my bag on the floor. She laughed and handed me some parchment and that quill… The one that Harry had used. The one that would scar me.

'Now, Miss Granger: I would like you to write _I shall always listen to my superiors_. You may begin.'

I glared at her, before getting to work on my _lines._ I felt the sharp pain in my left hand, but I didn't say anything. I didn't make a single noise; I wasn't giving her the satisfaction. Now, I know why Harry didn't want to tell McGonagall; I simply _couldn't_ let her break me.

Fred's POV:

I waited and waited for Hermione to get back to the common room, gradually getting more and more scared while wondering what Umbridge was doing to her. Eventually, George and Lee managed to drag me up to our dorm, half asleep, and dumped me on my bed, still fully clothed.

I awoke early for some reason, and quickly showered and dressed in new robes before heading down to the common room, eager to comfort my Hermione after a detention of Umbridge. A detention with that evil bastard could only mean that she was forced to write lines with that horrible quill, much like Harry had.

When I got down to the common room, I was surprised to see Hermione there already, scanning a book thoroughly. She didn't seem to notice me; so I crept up behind her and pulled her into a large hug.

'You okay, love?' I breathed into her ear.

'Yeah…' she mumbled into my chest.

'Did Umbridge make you do lines?'

Hermione didn't say anything. She pulled away from our hug, looked up at me sadly, and pulled up the arm of her school jumper.

_I shall always listen to my superiors._

Hermione's beautiful Victorian-style handwriting was engraved into her skin far deeper than I had seen anybody's before. The rest of her hand was almost white; its blood being drained from it. I could imagine her sitting there, at that little desk in Umbridge's office, writing quickly, trying to get it over and done with. I imagined her forcing to keep her eyes clear of tears, trying and succeeding to make no noise whatsoever. That's probably what happened. Hermione was such a brave, proud girl; she would never have given into Umbridge's torture.

I took her hand in mine and kissed each word a few times, extremely softly, as to not press the cuts too hard.

'Use a concealment charm,' I found myself saying before I allowed it to pass through my lips. 'Ron and Harry are far too protective over you – I don't want them doing something stupid because of this. You're better than her.'

She smiled genuinely, although her eyes were wet with tears that had not yet fallen. 'I was going to,' she replied softly. 'But I couldn't hide it from you… Not _you_, Fred.'

She seemed to smile even more at saying my name; but before I knew it, it had gone. She'd focused on someone behind me.

'I heard all of that,' croaked Ron, as I turned around. He looked as if he'd known he'd intruded, but I didn't mind. 'Why would you hide it from us, Hermione? You were the one telling Harry to tell McGonagall…' He looked at his feet awkwardly.

'I didn't want you two to worry about me,' she sighed. 'But I suppose there's no point now; and it doesn't hurt as much, anyway.'

'But we're here to help you, Hermione.' He smiled lightly. 'You know that. So stop being so silly and come to breakfast.' I saw his hand twitch, as if he was about to offer it to Hermione, before mentally stopping himself.

She grinned at us both, and the three of us headed down to breakfast, Hermione's scarred hand in my own.

Hermione's POV:

After that week, it was the Christmas holidays. Finally! Practically everybody in the school went home for these holidays, since nobody particularly wanted to spend extra time with Umbridge. I decided that, despite the time I craved with Fred, Ron and Harry, I would go to my parents' house for a few days before flooing to The Burrow. When I told him, I could tell that Fred was marginally disappointed, but I would be there over Christmas and New Year's, so I suppose he didn't mind as much afterwards.

'Hermione, darling!' my mother greeted me as I jumped off the Hogwarts Express and ran towards her, my arms wide open. I'd forgotten how much I loved spending time with my parents; with all the time that I spent at The Burrow, I spent less and less time at home – and I would be an adult soon… Not yet, but soon.

And then, as my dad drove me to our house in London, we talked, and I remembered how happy I was, being with them. They were my parents, after all.

That night, I sat on the floor in front of our large Christmas tree with a large mug of hot chocolate with freshly whipped cream and mini marshmallows. I really wanted to write to Fred; but would he think I was pathetic writing so soon? A blur of white then moved swiftly across the large windows, and I had to double check to see if I was seeing correctly. It was Hedwig!

I opened the window and felt the December breeze on my face. I let her in, and untied the letter from her leg and stroked her head.

_**Dear Hermione,**_it read. I noticed Fred's untidy scrawl.

_**How are you? I know it's quite pathetic of me writing to you so soon, but I just miss you so much! It's strange; I saw you this morning, but it feels like it's been so long. Do you know what day you'll be here? I know spending time with your parents is important, and I know that you haven't really been seeing them that much recently.**_

_**Well, write back soon (if you can be bothered)!**_

_**Love, Fred x**_

_**Ps – I thought that sending an owl was much more romantic than the Communication Pad; hope you don't mind!**_

I smiled at his short, yet sweet letter. I really did love it when he worried about me! Not wasting any time, I grabbed some parchment from one of the drawers (that I'd made my parents buy in my first year, so that I wasn't the only one getting letters on paper) and began to write back.

_Dear Fred,_

_Hey! I'm just great thank you, what about yourself? It's not pathetic; I was about to write in the Communication Pad, but Hedwig arrived here before I could! I completely agree with you, to be honest. It was so strange not eating my dinner with you in the Great Hall. I'll be spending tomorrow with my parents, and the next day probably, so maybe in the evening I'll floo over – but I'll be sure to warn you before I do; don't worry!_

'Hermione, love,' I heard from the kitchen.

'Yes, mum?' I replied, setting my un-finished letter down and walking into the kitchen. My mum and dad were sat at the dining table with mugs of hot tea in her hands.

'Your father and I were talking… And would it be okay for us to go and meet the Weasley's when you go? We spoke to them in Diagon Alley that time, but we've never had a proper conversation with them, I suppose… Don't worry if not. Just ask, and see what they're doing, if that's okay.'

'Oh mum! That would be fine. Mrs Weasley is so kind, she won't mind at all if there are a few more mouths to feed! I'll write to them now,' I said, smiling. But I couldn't help but think, should I tell my parents about Fred and me? No doubt when I arrive, he'll be acting the same as usual… What will be parents think, him being two years older than me?

Well, I might as well tell her, to save the awkward questions when I arrive.

'Mum, dad,' I said slowly. 'I'm… Well, I suppose you could say… I'm _in a relationship _with one of the Weasley's… And it's not Ron.'

'But who else would it be?' enquired my dad. 'Surely any of the other brothers would be too old for you?'

'Well recently I got talking to Fred and George… And, although they're two years older than me, I really like him,' I sighed.

'Who, Fred or George?' asked my mum.

'Fred,' I said, smiling without realising, 'although you probably won't be able to tell them apart.'

'Well, any choice of yours would be a good one,' said my dad. 'And we cannot wait to meet him.'

I smiled at them both and went back into the living room to finish my letter.

'Sorry for keeping you waiting, Hedwig,' I said. She chirped happily in reply, and I continued to write.

_My parents have just wondered, would it be okay if they came for dinner the evening that I come? They haven't really had a proper conversation with your parents, but don't worry if it's not a convenient time! _

_Love, Hermione x_

_Ps – I told my parents about us… you should too, if you haven't already! _

I sealed it up inside an envelope and attached it to Hedwig's leg again, giving him a few owl treats that Harry had supplied me with. I was glad I'd used a waterproof quill instead of a normal one, as I saw the rain pound at my windows. I opened them, and watched the owl glide gracefully off into the night and wondered what Fred would be doing right now…

Fred's POV:

I was sat cross-legged on the floor in my room with George, failing to create more products for the shop.

'I think it's time we give up for the night,' sighed George. I looked at the clock; it was nearly 2:30AM!

'Good idea,' I replied, yawning. As I packed up the many bottles and cauldrons full of multi-coloured liquids and bubbling snacks, I heard a tapping on our window. It was Hedwig! Hermione had replied.

I left George to clean up (of course), and went to let Hedwig in. She shook her feathers and sprayed some rain water all over me, but I didn't care. I untied the letter on her leg and opened the door for her to get back to Harry. The envelope was soaked but the ink didn't appear to have run at all. I smiled as I reached the end of her letter; of course I'd told mum… Well, not _me_ exactly, but George and Ron couldn't keep their stupid mouths shut. But she and dad didn't seem to mind; they both absolutely love Hermione.

And her parents wanted to come for the evening? That would be fine. Awkward for us, but fine… I suppose.

'Fred, stop staring at that letter and go to bed,' moaned George from the other side of the room.

'Sorry, George,' I said sheepishly, folding the letter away and climbing into bed, drifting off into dreams full of Hermione Granger.

In the morning, I was awoken by the thunder striking outside my window. I heard George grumble and toss and turn in his sleep, but I was wide awake. I looked at the small clock on the wall opposite my bed; it was 5:27AM. That was less than three hours sleep, and I was bloody exhausted. But, try as I might, I couldn't get back to sleep. Rain hammering on every window, wall and door in the house, I got out of bed and tip-toed down to the living room, not forgetting my Communication Pad, just in case Hermione couldn't sleep either. I made myself a warm hot chocolate and sat in front of the fire with the leather Pad.

_**Hermione, sorry if you're asleep, but if you're not, feel free to reply - too much thunder for me to sleep now.**_

_**-F x**_

It was only a few minutes before she replied.

_I'm awake too. Bloody rain! But no thunder here; unlucky for you! Can't wait to see you tomorrow. _

_-H x_

_**Ah, just me then. I can't wait to see you either, love. And regarding your letter earlier – of course I told mum about us… Well, George and Ron did. Thankfully it wasn't Ginny though; silly loudmouth sister!**_

_Don't be so horrible! I had to tell my parents myself… It was rather awkward. But they said they couldn't wait to meet you… So try to act normal? _

_**Aren't you just hilarious, Miss Granger? I'll be sure to practise my manners then, just for them. **_

_I'm sure that would be much appreciated. Now, I really must go. My dad expects me to help him with the garden tomorrow, and I don't see myself doing that if I don't sleep at all._

_**Have you been awake all night? I only woke up at half five. But of course, you need your sleep. Good night, gorgeous. See you tomorrow x**_

_Yes I have, unfortunately. Had quite a lot on my mind about OWLs and stuff, but I'm fine really. Good night, Fred! x_

I closed the Pad and smiled; I really did love her. Wait, what? Love? Did I really just think that? I couldn't possibly _love_ someone… Not _me._ I'm Fred Weasley for Godric's sake; I don't _love._ Sure, I like her a lot but surely that was just my head slipping up. And anyway, even if I did there was no way on this earth that she could possibly feel the same way; and I wouldn't expect her to! We're so young; we're not _supposed_ to love. Ugh.

'You okay, Fred? You look distressed,' said Ginny. Damn, I hadn't even noticed her come down the stairs.

'I'm fine,' I said, running my hands through my messy hair.

'You don't seem fine.' She sat on a chair opposite me and stared at me.

'Why are you awake this early?' I asked, ignoring her previous statement.

'Same reason as you, I suppose.' She shrugged.

'And what's that?' I asked sceptically.

'The storm,' she replied, smirking slightly.

Oh. I thought she was going to say something about Hermione, or relationships or something. Maybe she wanted me to think that… The evil genius.

'Are you going to tell me why you're so distressed then?' she urged.

'No,' I snapped.

'Why not?' She smirked.

'Because nothing's wrong!' I exclaimed. 'I'm fine!'

'Yes, because those are the actions of a perfectly _fine_ person,' Ginny said sarcastically.

'Shut up, Gin,' I sighed.

'Go on, tell me.' She smiled and edged the chair closer.

'It's nothing…' I began.

'Don't say that; it's clearly upsetting you so just _tell me_!'

'Maybe later… I'm going up to my room.' I leaped up, grabbed the Communication Pad and ran up the stairs before she could stop me. I treaded carefully into my room and saw that George was awake, reading a Defence Against the Dark Arts book intently.

'Not like you to be revising, Georgie,' I joked.

'I'm reading about the Patronus Charm… For some reason I just can't seem to be able to do it. Can you, Freddie?' he replied, not taking his eyes off the book.

'Well uh, I've never tried… I guess you just need to just think of the happiest moment of your life… Harry said that his wasn't particularly a _moment_, just his parents in general. It could be tricky, but don't worry about it, Georgie.'

'I'm not worrying _too_ much. Here, I'll have another go and show you,' he said, putting a bookmark in the book and grabbing his wand. He stood up before saying clearly, '_Expecto Patronum!'_

A small cloud of white vapour emerged from his wand, but disappeared as quickly as it had come.

'See?' he grumbled. 'I've been trying for weeks.'

'I'll have a go,' I said, grabbing my wand from my bed-side table. '_Expecto Patronum!'_

The same white vapour emerged from my wand, too. I was thinking about George, of course. He's my twin; I spent my whole life with him, and I would spend the rest of my life with him – what could be more powerful than that? I tried again, thinking of Hermione, although I didn't expect it to work. Yeah, I really liked her, but George was my _twin! _Alas, it didn't work.

'The book said that the charm may not work if your happiest memory hasn't happened yet… But how could it not have? Our life's been brilliant, right?' said George.

'Right,' I muttered. Why wasn't this working? I'd been trying for weeks, too. Harry had shown us his; the stag. Hermione could do it, too; hers was an otter. And Ron's was a terrier. So why not George and I?

'Freddie, look!'

From the tip of George's wand stood a creature. His Patronus. Made out of the white smoke that I'd seen in the Room of Requirement many times. It was a small monkey. From head to the tip of its tail it was no longer than his legs; although the monkey's tail was rather long.

'That's brilliant, Georgie!' I exclaimed. 'What did you think of?'

'Our entire first year of Hogwarts, of course. Finding all those secret passages, and even getting our letters together, our wands and our spell books… It was just amazing, and it worked! It worked, Freddie. I did my Patronus,' George said happily. The monkey then disappeared as he gazed at me. 'You try again, then.'

So I did. I thought of our first year of Hogwarts. And it did make me smile. So, focusing hard on that long memory, I cast the spell. _'Expecto Patronum!' _

But nothing happened. Just the same white vapour that had happened many times before. What was wrong with me? Was I seriously such a sad person, that I couldn't make a Patronus out of the happiest year of my life? I mentally hit myself for not being able to conjure one when George could.

**Thanks for reading!**

**This chapter was supposed to go on until Hermione's parents arrived buuuuuut I decided that would take too long and I REALLY wanted to update! It's been so long but now it's the holidays I'll hopefully be writing more **

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	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: JKR owns everything!**_

_**AN: CarlitaM, I'm planning on taking this story right through the battle of Hogwarts, into young-adult-hood. Hopefully. Unless you know, people stop reviewing and stuff. **_

_**And sorry about last chapter, how most of it was in Fred's POV – I really prefer writing about him, since the books focus on Harry, Ron and Hermione (obviously). But anyways, on with the story!**_

_**Thanks to all for reviewing and subscribing :-)**_

_Chapter Eleven!_

Fred's POV:

Later that day, I tried not to think about _loving_ Hermione. How could I possibly love her, anyway? I also tried not to think about George's Patronus. Why couldn't I cast mine? Our happiest moment would be the same, surely? So why couldn't I do it!

All through the day, the thunderstorm stayed strong. I tried not to laugh as I pictured Hermione and her dad plodding through the garden, soaked to the core with rain. It was mean, but I knew that she would have taken it as banter.

Despite so much being on my mind, the day seemed to go quite quickly. And so, the next day, mum got us all to help out around the house, to get it spotless for the Granger's – I wasn't sure why though; they seemed to be quite laid-back, but, if it made mum happy, then so be it.

As six o'clock approached, the time of which Hermione said she would arrive, the house was spotless. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime sight for us Weasley's. I think my siblings (George in particular, of course) could tell that I was quite tense about meeting Hermione's parents. Which I was! What would they think of me? What would they think of _us_? Us wizards? Mum had gotten us all to dress in our best muggle-style suits. Apart from Ginny, of course; she was wearing some dress. But what if the Granger's decided to dress casually? That would be awkward.

Hermione's POV:

As it reached 5:30, I was sat on my bed with my trunk and Crookshanks, deciding what to wear, as mum had said to dress formally. I wasn't really a very _dressy_ person, so there really wasn't much choice; just the colour, really. The two that I was choosing from both had spaghetti-straps and floated down to just above the knee. But it was choosing between a deep blue, or a dark red. After much thinking, I decided on the blue. I put on some small silver heels and headed downstairs with my trunk.

'You look beautiful, darling,' my dad said, kissing my now non-bushy hair.

'Thank you, daddy,' I mumbled back, the corners of my mouth curving slightly. I just wished that Fred would think the same thing.

'Shall we go then?' asked my mum, as she walked into the kitchen where we were.

'Of course,' I breathed; now getting quite scared about my parents meeting Fred.

'Relax, darling,' my mum said, smiling at me. 'It's going to be fine.'

I walked into our living room and over to the fireplace. 'Here mum, dad,' I said, offering them both some grey powder that I'd borrowed off Ron in our second year. 'Just say, really clearly, _'The Burrow'_, and drop the powder. It's easy!' I explained. 'I'll go first, if you want?' They both nodded in agreement, clearly worried about using the Floo Network for the first time.

I stepped into our large fireplace and grabbed a hold of my bas with my spare hand.

'The Burrow!' I commanded, throwing the powder to the ground. In a blur of green flames, I was whisked away to the place that I'd spend these Christmas holidays.

When I arrived, Mrs Weasley was waiting beside the fireplace, all ready for our arrival.

'Hello!' she greeted, taking me bags off of me and wrapping her short arms around me in a bone-cracking hug.

'Hello, Mrs Weasley,' I panted, as she let me go.

'Are you parents coming, dear?' she asked.

'Yes, if that's alright with you, of course,' I replied. 'They should be here in a moment; they were both quite shaky about using the Floo Network for the first time.'

'Oh, of course! I should have sent someone over to escort them…' Molly mumbled. But as she spoke, the green flames appeared once more and my mum emerged from their fireplace, looking cautiously around.

'Hello, lovely!' exclaimed Molly. 'Safe trip? It's always a bit scary the first time.' She gave my mum a hug, too, but not as tight as mine.

'Yes, it was fine, Mrs Weasley,' my mum laughed.

'Oh, please; call me Molly.'

'I'm Kathryn.' My mum smiled widely at her new friend. 'John, my husband, will be here in a moment… The Floo Network is something very different from muggle life.'

'I know, dear,' Molly said sympathetically. 'I'd completely forgotten; I was going to send someone over to escort you, but Hermione said you wouldn't have a problem.'

Before my mum could respond, the fireplace flared up in green flames, and my dad walked out, flattening his perfectly in-place hair.

'John Granger,' he greeted, extending his hand to Molly.

'Molly Weasley,' she replied, shaking his hand.

I turned to Molly and smiled. 'Where's Fred?' I asked shyly.

'Upstairs in his room,' she replied, smirking a very Ginny-like smirk.

'Thanks, if you'll excuse me…' I said, looking down, my cheeks flushing red. 'And shall I take these to Ginny's room?' I asked, gesturing towards my bags.

'No, dear, I'll take them up later. Leave them by the bottom of the stairs and go and see Freddie.' She winked at me before turning back to my parents.

I dragged my bags to the bottom of the stairs and began to walk silently up them. I stood outside Fred and George's room, breathing heavily. I knocked twice, and heard Fred's beautiful deep voice on the other side.

'Alright, mum,' he grumbled. 'I'll be down in a minute!'

I smirked at the closed door. 'A mere few days without seeing me, and that's how you greet me?'

Before I knew it, the bedroom door shot open and a tall red-haired _man_ in a suit engulfed me in a huge hug.

'I missed you, love,' he mumbled into my hair.

'I missed you too,' I sighed, smiling.

He pulled away from the hug and crashed his lips against mine. I felt him smile slightly beneath it as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

'Are you done here?'

I broke off the kiss, finding George in the doorway, smirking at his twin.

'Not quite, but thanks for interrupting,' Fred shot back, putting his arm around my waist.

'Just doing my job, Freddie,' George winked and gestured for us to come in. I gulped; I'd never been in Fred's room before.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. It wasn't how I thought it would be; with the smell of burning, from failed experiments, and 17 years' worth of dirt. No, it was the opposite. There was a strong smell of aftershave; the one that I loved. Despite the cold weather, the window was open, and a fresh breeze was streaming through. I suddenly noticed what the boys were wearing; suits! I laughed internally at how Molly must have forced them all to dress-up fancily for us.

Fred and George's suits were almost identical, however George had a red tie, and Fred had a blue one. The blue made Fred's eyes stand out a lot, making them brighter and much more noticeable.

As he sat on the edge of his bed, I sat and joined him, snuggling close up to the boyfriend that I had greatly missed.

Fred's POV:

George, Hermione and I sat and talked in my room for a while. I didn't realise that she would come in – I thought mum would have made dinner so it was ready when she got here, and George and I hadn't cleaned up at all. But luckily, we were only designing, and the common stench of our products wasn't looming around us. George began telling Hermione all about our plans for the future, and, although she seemed happy, I could tell that she definitely didn't want us to leave Hogwarts early. But, before long, mum called us all down for dinner.

I took Hermione's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. Everything would be just fine. Harry, Ron and Ginny were already down when we got there.

'Hey, Hermione!' called Harry.

Hermione smiled shyly and said, 'Hello, everyone.'

We sat down in the remaining three seats; Hermione in the middle of George and me. Mum came out, plates and trays full of delicious-looking (and smelling) foods levitating behind her. I could tell that Hermione was nervous – her deep brown eyes darted around the table at everyone's smiling faces, then down to her lap. I took her hand in mine, entwining our fingers together, and squeezed the soft skin reassuringly.

'It's okay,' I whispered, winking at her.

'I know,' she said, blushing slightly.

Hermione's POV:

Before I knew it, the dinner was over. And I was alive! It wasn't too embarrassing – Dad had been quite awkward at the beginning, but I think he really started to like Fred. Mum, too, although they'd both been quite shocked when he had said what he'd planned to do after Hogwarts.

'_What are your plans for the future then, lad?' he had asked._

'_Oh, I... Uh…' Fred stammered. 'I plan to run a shop with George. A joke shop.' I could tell that he was nervous about Dad's reaction._

'_Marvellous!' he exclaimed. 'Hear that, Kath? His own business!'_

And then after that, Fred seemed to relax a lot as he explained to my dad about the products he and George had designed. After dinner, all 10 of us (Mum, Dad, Mr & Mrs Weasley, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Ginny and I) sat in their living room, laughing and sharing stories. Mum handed over a few small presents for me to put under the Weasley's large Christmas tree, and we bid our farewells.

'Have a good Christmas, Mum,' I mumbled, giving her a large hug.

'You too, Darling,' she replied.

'Keep my Angel safe,' Dad joked, clapping Fred on the back.

Fred gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his neck. 'Oh, I will, Sir.'

I watched as my parents flooed away, and I climbed up the stairs, to Ginny's room. She was sat on her bed, reading a new issue of _Witch Weekly_ when I opened the door.

'Hey, Gin,' I greeted her, sitting on the edge of her bed.

'Hey,' she replied, folding up the magazine and grinning at me. 'You and Fred are really good together,' she commented.

'Well, er… Thanks,' I said awkwardly.

Ginny giggled and said, 'I could tell you were nervous about him meeting your parents, Hermione. We all could.'

I felt myself blush and I looked down. 'Yes, well, it was frightening… I've never had my parents meet a boyfriend before. Well, I've never had a _boyfriend_, but still…'

'You had Krum. Although, he could barely say your name…'

'Exactly! So of course I was nervous.'

'It's okay, Hermione. I'd be nervous, too.' Ginny gave me a reassuring smile and I wandered over to my own bed.

Fred's POV:

'Fred, pass me the cauldron.'

'Fred? Pass me the cauldron!'

'_Fred if you don't listen to me right now, I swear to Godric I'll –'_

'What?' I moaned from my side of the room. George was wide awake, despite the fact it was almost 2AM.

'Did you not hear me? Pass the cauldron,' he laughed, standing up.

'I'm tired,' I stated.

'I can see that.'

'So bugger off.'

I opened my eyes enough to see George smirking a few feet from my bed.

'Nah, I don't think I will,' he said.

I groaned, rubbed my eyes and sat up. I was still wearing that bloody suit mum had made me wear; minus the tie and jacket.

'You look like death,' George joked.

'Thanks for the reminder,' I said, frowning.

'You know, if _I_ were you, I would smarten up a little bit before going out to see Hermione.'

'I'm not going out to see Hermione… I'm going to bed!' I whined.

'Oh, I assumed you'd stay up talking to her, at _least_.'

'She's probably asleep too, you know,' I commented.

'I'll bet that she's waiting for you to come in.'

'Shut up.' I grinned and threw my pillow at him.

George didn't reply, but the smirk on his face allowed me to know that he'd force me to do something with Hermione tonight. And it's not as if I didn't want to; I was bloody exhausted! And I bet she was, too…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

'Hermione, are you awake, love?' I whispered, as to not awake my slumbering sister.

'Mmm,' she mumbled in reply. 'What is it, Fred?' Hermione rubbed her sleepy eyes with the backs of her hands.

'I want to show you something,' I replied. 'Put something warm on, and meet me in the living room.' I kissed her head before tip-toeing out of the room and down the creaky stairs.

Hermione's POV:

Being careful not to wake Ginny, I slid out of bed and put on the warmest clothes I could find. I dragged my hair back into a messy bun and tip-toed downstairs.

'What is it, Freddie?' I asked, seeing him sat on the edge of one of the sofas.

'Come with me,' he said, grabbing my hand. I saw that he had his broom with him, and I gulped; I hadn't flown since the twins had saved me from Malfoy Manor.

'Love, you look petrified,' he chuckled. 'You'll be fine – and it's just so we don't have to walk on the wet fields.'

'Where are we actually going?' I grumbled, opening the back door and exposing the cold air to my skin.

'If I tell you, it won't be a surprise.' Fred winked and got on his broom. I followed, unsure of flying again. Without any warning, he kicked off the ground, and I wrapped my shaking arms around his torso from behind.

'You alright, love?' he asked, putting one hand on mine.

'Yes,' I called. 'How far away is it?'

'We're nearly there,' Fred replied, laughing lightly.

I internally groaned; I really hated flying, especially when it was this cold. But, soon enough, he lowered his broom and we landed in a clearing in some woods near his house. A large lake took up most of it, but there was still a lot of room to sit. Fairy-like lights darted round the cove like tiny fireworks; it was exquisite.

'It's beautiful,' I commented, gazing about in awe.

'I know,' Fred replied. 'Bill, George and I found it in Bill's fifth year. We haven't showed anyone else… Apart from you.'

I drew my eyes away from the beautiful scenery around me and looked at my boyfriend. 'Why me?' I whispered, our bodies now almost touching.

'There's something… _about_ you, love, and I just can't seem to get you off my mind. Ever.'

And at that, he lowered his lips on to mine, and I felt electrical impulses dart through us like lightning. I pulled myself away from him when I felt light raindrops hit my head. I looked up at him, grinning.

'How incredibly cliché,' I murmured, pulling him in for another kiss.

It was amazing; feeling his breath entwined with my own. I was slightly shocked when I felt his warm tongue tease at my lips and ask for entrance. I opened my mouth and explored his with my own tongue. But, before I knew it, he pulled away.

Fred held my shivering hands in his. 'I'll keep you safe and sound – you know that, right?' he said.

'I know… Of course,' I mumbled. What did he mean? 'Safe and sound…'

I hugged him tight and smiled wide. I was really beginning to like this.

**AN: okay hello! Thanks everyone for reading. Don't you just love the word **_**exquisite**_**? Hehehe. Right okay so I just had my FIRST EVER GCSE aaah D: (or OWL, for any wizards out there) and I'd put my social and writing life on hold so I could revise. Buuuuuuuuuut now that's over and I won't have another one till next year! Yay! So yep, review, subscribe, whatever :P **

**xx**


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